Echinacea plant named &#39;kim&#39;s mop head&#39;

ABSTRACT

Echinacea purpurea  ‘Kim&#39;s Mop Head’ is a new and distinct dwarf perennial plant with white flowers and drooping ray petals on plants 35 to 40 cm tall, for an extended twelve weeks flowering period.

BACKGROUND OF THE PLANT

[0001] The present invention relates to the new and distinct Coneflowerplant, botanically known as Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench hybrid andherein after referred to by the cultivar name ‘Kim's Mop Head’. Thestated cultivar is valued for its unique and long-lasting white flowerdisplay and short compact plant habit.

[0002]Echinacea purpurea ‘Kim's Mop Head’ is a selection of anon-induced whole plant mutation from a nursery propagated batch ofEchinacea purpurea ‘Kim's Knee High’, discovered by the inventor, PierreBennerup, at a nursery in Kensington, Conn. in the summer of 1996.

[0003] ‘Kim's Mop Head’ has been propagated at a nursery in Kensington,Conn. by both tissue culture and root cuttings, and has demonstratedthat the plant maintains its unique characteristics and is capable ofreproducing identical individuals in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004]Echinacea purpurea is one of two species in the genus. It is anAmerican native plant found in the eastern United States region normallybounded by Michigan and Oklahoma on the west and Virginia, NorthCarolina and Georgia on the east. There are only a few white floweringvarieties, including: ‘Alba’ (not patented), ‘Cygnet White’ (notpatented), ‘White Lustre’ (not patented), and ‘White Swan’ (notpatented). Among the purple or wine-colored flowering forms, one,Rudbeckia purpurea plant U.S. Plant Pat. No. 2414 (now known asEchinacea purpurea ‘Robert Bloom’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 2414), is patentedand another, ‘Kim's Knee High’, has a patent pending from anotherindividual. The white flowering forms, ‘Alba’, ‘White Lustre’, and‘White Swan’ are seed propagated, taller varieties, and like thespecies, flower in heights varying between 65 and 150 cm tall. Oneshorter variety, Echinacea purpurea ‘Cygnet White’, is a selection withwhite horizontal ray petals that reaches 52 cm in height. Other short,purple-flowering forms exist, such as ‘Nana’ (not patented) in GreatBritain, and ‘Rosenelf’ (not patented) in Germany, and ‘Kim's Knee High’(patent pending by another individual) with its pinkish red flowercolor. ‘Kim's Mop Head’ differs from all other Echinacea with a uniquecombination of traits. The plant is short and compact, flowering at nomore than 40 cm. The flowers are pure white, and the petals droop as theflowers mature.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0005] The photographs of the new invention demonstrate the overallappearance of the plant including the unique traits. Light sourcedirection may cause the appearance of variation in color. The colors areas accurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions.

[0006]FIG. 1 shows the habit of a three-year-old plant in flower.

[0007]FIG. 2 shows a close-up view of some flowers to demonstrate flowercolor and form.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PLANT VARIETY

[0008] The following color description is based on color terminology inaccordance with The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart and islabeled with RHS and the appropriate corresponding reference number andletter.

[0009] Echinacea ‘Kim's Mop Head’ is a hardy herbaceous perennial thatgrows from zone 3 to 9 on the USDA Plant Hardiness Chart. It producesone to several multiple branched stems from a fibrous rooted crown orcaudex. Stems or peduncles are up to 38 cm long and 6 mm in diameter.The hispid to hirsute stems are a light yellow green, about RHS 145 B toRHS 145 C. The basal leaves are 3 to 5 cm wide and up to 15 cm long.Each stem possesses seven to eight middle cauline leaves in an alternatepattern that are scabrous on both sides. The stem usually has one orseldom more alternate branches in the upper leaf axils. Peduncle is alight green RHS 145 C. Leaf blades are mostly toothed (especially on thelower leaves). Both basal and cauline leaves are attenuate to the base,or tapered down to 5 mm on the petiole to form a wing, lanceolate tolance-ovate. Approximate petiole length is 10 to 15 cm. Leaves andpetioles are closest to RHS 141 A on both the adaxial and abaxialsurfaces.

[0010] ‘Kim's Mop Head’ flowers on peduncles 32 to 38 cm tall beginningin late June in Kensington, Conn. If cut back after flowering it willcontinue flowering sporadically until frost on peduncles that stay below38 cm. In trial tests at a nursery in Kensington, Conn. and in Zeeland,Mich. Echinacea purpurea ‘Kim's Mop Head’ has shown a prolongedflowering period of twelve weeks or more.

[0011] The flowers of Echinacea purpurea ‘Kim's Mop Head’ are solitaryheads with up to 21 drooping, mostly bifid, white petals 3.5 to 4.5 cmlong and 7 to 10 mm wide. While ray petals are still developing andupright, the petals are a light yellow RHS 1 C. The disk is about 3 to 4cm in diameter and up to 3 cm tall. Bud size one week before petals arehorizontal is approximately 2 cm in diameter. By the time the ray petalsare horizontal they are pure white. The petals continue to expand anddroop to about 40° to 60° below the horizon. Each flower has about 80curled, imbricate sepals, with acute apex, nearest Yellow-Green RHS 146A on the adaxial side, RHS 146 B on the abaxial side, to 3 mm wide atthe base and between 10 and 14 mm long. The plant has between 360 and500 disk florets that are near RHS 17 B when young and anthers havedehisced, and become RHS 160 A. Roots are freely branched and fibrous.The plant does produce seeds typical of the species in size, shape,color and number. Sex organs are typical for the species. Athree-year-old plant may have between 40 and 56 flowers per plant duringthe growing season. Each flower lasts on the plant at least three tofour weeks. Different environmental conditions or garden setting, as tosun exposure, heat, soil fertility, water availability, etc., may causesome epigenetic variation, but the plant remains genotypically stable.For example, leaves grown in heavy shade have more stretched petioleswith deeper green color, and flower number and size is reduced.

[0012] The plants root from tissue culture in two to four weeks. Timerequired to finish plants from plugs in a one gallon nursery pot isabout eight to ten weeks during the summer.

[0013] The plant is drought tolerant, and is not susceptible to anymajor pests or pathogens.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct dwarf cultivar of Echinacea purpureaplant named ‘Kim's Mop Head’, with white drooping flower petals,extended flowering period; and suitable for landscape, potted plant orcut flower, as herein illustrated and described.